A Struggle For Acceptance
by Love-And-War1999
Summary: Hazel is feeling troubled. After Nico and Jason finally come clean and tell their friends they've been having a secret relationship, she's not sure how to feel about that. She just wishes to understand and accept, but why is it so hard? She suspects that her mother might have something to do with it. Hazel should be happy for her brother, right?


**I know that Hazel would totally defend Nico, no matter what it was, and in all the fanfics I've read, she is very supportive of his sexual orientation, so I wanted to mix things up a bit, her being from the 1940's, but not to worry, everything turns out okay.**

**-Angela R.**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Hazel<strong>

"We're kinda dating," Jason muttered as he avoided his friends' eyes. At first, Hazel thought it was a joke, but seeing the crimson blush appear on both boys confirmed that it was true. Even though the others seemed very accepting in the matter, Hazel couldn't help but feel...uncomfortable. She tried to look happy for them, really she tried. Yet the PDA was making her feel flustered.

Why was it weird for her to see her brother and friend happy? Sure they were both boys, but that was okay right? Hazel knew that Nico could sense her discomfort and had kept the touching to a minimum, which only served to make Hazel feel horrible. Nico hadn't come to talk to her and neither had she.

The topic was too embarrassing to her, as much as Hazel hated to admit. There had to be a reason for her acting like this. She just had to remember what it was.

...

It had been a terrible idea, thinking back on it, but Hazel didn't know what else to do at the time when she thought of it and blurted it out. She and the others were having a bonfire, just for them to relax on the beach and spend some time together. Everyone was having a great time. Leo was making corny jokes, as usual, while juggling burning marshmallows (Hazel couldn't help but feel worried and amazed at that), Percy and Frank had decided to sing a campfire song (Hazel didn't have the heart to tell them that they were terrible singers) her, Piper and Annabeth were happily making conversation with Jason and Nico, trying to not be distracted with the off-key singing and random flying junk food.

"Have you guys kissed yet?" Piper asked, raising an eyebrow at the couple.

"Piper!" Annabeth nudged the daughter of Aphrodite, "That's none of our business."

"Sorry, I was just asking." Hazel had been taken aback by the simple question. The thought of her brother kissing Jason...? How did she feel about that? The images of them actually leaning forward, their lips about to touch... She shook her head. An involuntary shiver ran down her spine.

"Annabeth's right," Hazel chided, "It's their relationship, not ours." Hoping that the reassuring smile on her face didn't look forced, Hazel still trying to cope with the confused feelings she had about the whole topic of same gender romance. Percy, Frank and Leo had moved on to jumping into the hopefully not freezing cold water and splashing each other like little kids.

"No, it's alright," Jason smiled back at her, completely oblivious to her thoughts or emotions of uncertainty. "Yes, actually. We've kissed." Sounds of approval came from the other girls. Hazel decided to remain quiet and just nod at their direction. As they got back to chatting away at other matters, Jason wrapped an arm around the smaller boy. Hazel could feel her brother looking at her intently, waiting for her reaction, so she chose the safest option: She ignored it and continued to talk without pause.

Then Jason leaned in to kiss Nico since he was his boyfriend after all and Hazel had figured out that he never felt bothered with showing how he felt about someone. Before their lips connected, Nico glanced at her and immediately moved his head, Jason's lips ending up on his cheek. Had she made a face?

"Sorry," he muttered, giving Jason a small smile, "I'm still not used to it." At the last sentence, Nico had stared at Hazel. No one but Hazel could understand what he had really meant.

_Hazel's still not used to it._

The daughter of Pluto felt her heart sink. She was the cause for Nico's insecurity. She was the reason for him limiting the PDA between the two. She was the one at fault for Jason's disappointed glint in his eyes, yet keeping a genuine smile and reassuring Nico that he understood. Could she be a worst sister?

"Hey, why don't we hang out some time?" Hazel blurted out the question. She wasn't sure what her plan was but she was determined to make it up to her older brother. Everyone turned their attention to her. "I think it would be a good idea that me, you and Jason spend some time together," she continued, looking at Nico.

"That's a great idea!" Jason automatically agreed. Nico on the other hand, didn't look so excited. He raised his eyebrow, asking her silently what she was up to. Nevertheless, he didn't protest.

...

She waited nervously at the Survival Shack. It was a combination store for buying weapons and upgrades as well as a restaurant. Hazel wasn't exactly sure why anyone would start a business like this one but it became fairly popular and she thought that it would be a nice place to hang out with Nico and Jason. She was sitting in one of the tables outside and although a huge umbrella created shade for her, Hazel couldn't stop sweating.

"Hazel, Hey!" She turned her attention to the couple that was taking a seat across from her. Jason had the usual friendly smile on his face and his fingers respectfully intertwined with Nico's. _Okay,_ Hazel thought, _Don't mess this up. If you do, you'd never forgive yourself._

"Hi guys," she greeted cheerfully.

"Sorry we made you wait," Jason apologized. _See? Jason is such a nice guy for Nico. Why are you so weirded out by them?_

"That's all right. I wasn't waiting long." Hazel felt so out of place. They ordered something to eat. As Hazel played with the straw of her mango smoothie, she talked like she would normally. Like the two boys in front of her were nothing more than friends. Like before they came out and confessed of their attraction for each other.

She wished she had made this a double date so that at least, she'd have Frank to distract her. Still, she had to give Jason credit because she suspected that he'd gone out of his way to make an impression on her. As if he was trying to earn her blessing. He was dressed a little more nicely than usual. No stains or dirt or blood smeared his evidently pressed clothes, his hair was combed to perfection, unlike any other day when he'd be a complete mess from training and activities. The guilt kept piling up inside her every minute that passed as she tried not to show how uneasy and tense she felt.

Jason, being the same clueless boy that he was to her predicament, had decided to become that lovestruck boyfriend again. The way his eyes looked at Nico so endearing, like he was the most important thing in the world to him (which was probably not far from the truth), his arm wrapped protectively around the other's waist either not noticing or caring for Nico's warning glances he threw his way. Hazel started feeling fraught again at the scene before her. She tried swallowing those emotions down and burying them deep within her.

Dread started spreading through her veins as she watched her brother look between her and Jason. She knew how he was feeling. Nico thought that she hated him. That he was a filthy presence in her life and didn't deserve to belong. It was a cruel and betraying truth to Hazel to think that Nico would even consider her to be so heartless, but she might as well held up a sign that said 'Gays are Evil' considering what she had impulsively said next.

Hazel hadn't considered that Jason might get a little affectionate. Sure there was the hand holding and protective arm wrap here and there. That she could handle. She hadn't exactly gotten used to it, but she could bite her tongue and ignore the voice in her head that whispered things that she was deeply ashamed to think. It had become a habit of hers to bite her bottom lip whenever she got nervous and she seemed to be doing that a lot more lately and the only one that noticed was the last person Hazel wanted to know: Nico. But even he couldn't stop Jason from doing the thing that finally cracked Hazel. She knew it was just a playful kiss and it wasn't like they were going to make out right in front of her, but she opened her mouth anyway and quickly regretted it more than ever.

"Could you not do that in front of me?" The tone in her voice cut through the air between the three of them like a knife. Had she really said that out loud? The look of shock displayed on the boys' faces was a clear sign that it hadn't been Hazel's imagination (like she had really hoped for). The way she had asked that question was so terrible. It literally had annoyance, disapproval, distastefulness pouring from her mouth. What was worst was how rude and obnoxiously she had sounded. Hazel herself was as surprised as the others. After all that work she put in planning every phrase and tone that came out of her whenever the topic of Nico and Jason dating was brought up to make sure it never sounded offensive or could give away any negative thoughts, she had shattered all that with that one sentence.

She looked at Jason. Confusion, pain, and embarrassment flickered through his facial features but then he dropped his gaze, staring at the table, slipping his arm from Nico. He awkwardly scooted an inch away from his boyfriend, not giving him a second glance and muttered a quick apology. Hazel then made the mistake to turn her attention to Nico. The poor guy looked worst than she had ever seen him. His eyes darkened and watered, but he tried to remain stoic. Hazel unfortunately could see through that and that made this even worst. She could tell that she had messed up and knew that she had most likely broken the fragile self esteem of the person she cared most for. That this was something that could not be repaired with a few simply words.

And what did she do? The most cowardly thing a Roman could do: She ran. "I have to go," she announced as she shot up from her seat and hurried away. The boiling hot spike of sorrow and remorse that burned to the core inside her intensified as she stumbled over her own two feet and shoved past campers, hot tears running down her face. Of all the ways she could of expressed such a rotten thing, it had to be like that?

She finally crumpled next to Thalia's tree, gasping for oxygen, ignoring the never ending flow of teardrops and running nose. If she could of taken those few seconds back. If she could of just asked politely to stop or maybe excused herself and left them alone or even teased them a bit about it like her other friends could do so easily. She had done so much damage to people that were so important to her because of something so trivial.

_It's not natural,_ the voice in her head spoke softly. _Stay away from people like that, Hazel._

Hazel took a few deep breaths and wiped her nose with her sleeve. Now was not the time to have those kinds of ideas in her mind.

_They will burn in Hell, the_ voice continued. This time, she listened closely to it. It sounded so familiar, where had she heard that before? It sounded like an older woman's voice.

The memory hit her like a ton of bricks as realization found its way to her self conscious. The voice was her mom, Marie Levesque. Before Hazel's cursed jewels were well known and the locals in town started avoiding them, from time to time, there would be a few odd customers that would ask her mother for help. Before she knew it, she felt herself losing consciousness, getting sucked into another flashback. Hazel thought that she'd finally gotten over that problem, but she was too emotionally and physically exhausted that she didn't fight it. She slumped down, leaning on the trunk of the pine tree and let herself travel back.

...

It was a little odd to be back in the past again. After all the technology that she had been exposed to recently, coming back was kind of overwhelming. Mostly because she figured out that she liked the technology of the present. Hazel was a transparent image of herself, like she always was when these episodes happened, but she ignored that and focused on the flashback that was unfolding before her.

Her mother was in elegant robes, just like she always had on when she was working. The smaller version of herself was standing right beside her. She was probably about seven in this memory. Her mom sometimes let her help out when she was with a customer, mostly to indulge her daughter who was always curious about the whole talking to spirits even though Hazel was told that she was just a performer. Still, Hazel couldn't help but wonder what it was like to have a job that looked so easy.

There were three people sitting across from Queen Marie. There was a boy around the age of 15 or 16 sat nervously between an older man and woman who she assumed were his parents. There wasn't really anything that caught smaller Hazel's attention until she noticed the red welt on the boy's right cheek. Up until now, Hazel never even considered that his father might have done that to him. Now that she was older, it was most likely.

"Please help us," the older woman sobbed, "You're our last hope!"

"I don't think that I can help your son," Queen Marie responded.

"You must know something of how to deal with this," The father demanded, jabbing a finger at his son. Small Hazel looked confused, obviously not understanding what was being talked about.

"I talk to spirits," Queen Marie insisted, "I don't create miracles."

"But there must be a demon inside him," the mother continued, " Please help us save our child from this sin of homosexuality! It can only be the work of the devil."

"I said I was fine-" The boy who had been quiet for most of the conversation spoke weakly. The father didn't hesitate to smack his head.

"Quiet!" He growled, "You are in no position to say anything!" The boy flinched at his harsh tone.

"I'm begging you, Queen Marie," the woman pleaded, "Please help us. Name your price and we'll gladly pay." At the mention of 'naming her price', Hazel's mother 's eyes shone with greed. There was nothing that motivated her more than riches.

"He looks fine to me," Small Hazel said, forgetting that she wasn't supposed to talk unless asked to. Everyone turned their attention to her. The little girl shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, not sure what to do with the new audience. It wasn't long before she was told to wait in her room. Hazel tried to argue with her mother, but in the end, she was grudgingly making her way upstairs to draw a picture.

Time shifted to a few hours after her mother was finished with the last customer of the night that same day. At dinner, Hazel finally got the nerve to ask what was wrong with that boy from earlier. And with great distaste apparent on her face, her mother had given her a simple explanation.

"It is so," her mother made a face, "Unnatural. If you ever meet someone like that, you have to stay away from them, got it, Hazel? I don't want you exposed to that kind of perverted lifestyle."

Small Hazel could only nod. After all, her mom was always right.

...

Hazel opened her eyes. She was back at camp only the sun was going down. How long had she been gone? Two hours? Three hours? Hazel got up slowly, her body still sore from her long distance sprint. It took her about a minute to remember why she was so tired. She had dishonorably ran away from her own brother. She sighed, knowing that she'd have to face him sooner or later, but for now, she just wanted to take a long shower and turn in early.

As she was walking towards Cabin 13, halfway through the trip she felt someone grab her shoulder from behind.

"Hey, Hazel. Could I talk to you for a second?" Jason asked, a serious expression on his face. Hazel's mouth felt as dry as cotton. She didn't trust her voice anymore. She nodded and followed Jason to an isolated area by the Artemis cabin. It did seem like a good place to talk, considering the Goddess didn't have kids. Jason turned to face Hazel and she wasn't really sure what to expect from him. "I think I know what's going on." Panic started bubbling inside the pit of her stomach and was slowly rising to her throat. What would he say? What would she say in response? Hazel involuntarily bit her bottom lip. She bit down so hard, it was a miracle it wasn't bleeding. Then she forced herself to make eye contact.

"Really?" she tried not to sound as nervous as she felt. Hazel waited for angry accusation of how unfair she was being, of how she shouldn't be judging but be happy for them, of how she didn't deserve Nico as a brother.

Jason nodded. He closed his eyes for a second, trying to get his thoughts together until he finally continued, "You don't approve of me dating Nico. You think that he would be better off with someone else." Hazel stared at the son of Jupiter with wide eyes, feeling relief and shame simultaneously. She was relieved that Jason didn't know her negative thoughts and ashamed that she'd made him believe that he was to blame himself for the way she had been acting.

"Jason-" Hazel wanted to reassure him that it had nothing to do with him. but Jason cut her off.

"Please just listen," he requested, "I know that you love him and don't want him to get hurt again. It's your job after all, as a sister, to worry about his well-being, and that's why I want to prove to you that I will make sure that he's always safe and that him being with me isn't a mistake because...because I love him, too." His blue eyes bored right through Hazel's. He spoke with complete confidence and determination and Hazel could only stare at him, not sure what to say or do. "That's why I swear on the river Styx that I won't give up until I get your approval. And that's a promise I'm going to keep. Just keep that in mind," With that, Jason walked off, leaving Hazel dumbfounded.

"Approval?" She muttered. She wasn't sure how long she stood there, trying to comprehend what Jason had just confessed, what he'd promised. It was hard for her to understand why it was so important to Jason that she embraced their relationship. Because of the fact that she was Nico's only family? Because Jason was just that cliche-I-want-the-blessing-of-your-loved-ones kind of guy? Maybe because he wanted to prove to Nico and himself that he was good enough by even getting his protective sister to say yes to their romantic feelings?

It was almost curfew and Hazel decided to get to her cabin before the Harpies started patrolling.

...

Hazel had made up her mind to forget everything that had happened that day for the remainder of the night because she was finally feeling more relaxed than before after taking a hot shower. Still, in the back of her head, she was working on how she felt about what Jason said to her. Her more or less peaceful mood was destroyed as she walked to her bunk and noticed Nico walking into the cabin. When he saw her, the air turned tense. Hazel was stumped yet again, not sure what to say, or if she should stay silent.

She didn't have to think about it because Nico broke the silence. "I'm going out...to take care of some things." It was a total lie and Hazel knew it, but she just couldn't handle talking about her unspeakable behavior at the moment.

"Alright. Be careful." He nodded and shadow-traveled out the cabin, leaving Hazel alone. She knew that he deserved to hear some kind of reason, as twisted as it might be, but Hazel was too weak at this point. All she wanted was to forget about it all, if only for one night. She would try to talk to him tomorrow and clear this up, even though she still hadn't figured out how she felt about the whole thing in the first place.

...

When she woke up, she set out to talk to Nico, but she couldn't find him anywhere. She looked everywhere but there was no trace of him and no one had seen him. Jason had asked if she'd seen him, but she shook her head. She was starting to get worried, but Percy and Annabeth reminded them that Nico did this all the time and although it made Hazel feel a little better, the same couldn't be said for poor Jason. He insisted that they go look for him, but after hours of arguing, they finally got him to settle down and wait patiently.

...

Nico was no where to be seen the next day either. Jason was getting uneasy again and Hazel knew that all this was because of her. Because she just couldn't accept, couldn't understand. Harsh reality was that she wasn't sure what to think anymore. But this was Nico. The guy that had brought her back to life, who had found her a place to belong, who'd taken care of her and become her family after her losing the one she had in such an unpleasant way. She had to accept the facts. Nico was gay. Jason was bi. They both loved each other. That was all there's to it. So why couldn't she just embrace it like everyone else? Was she just stuck thinking like this because her mom brainwashed her well enough? She didn't know how many times she was going to tell herself how much she hated herself.

...

By the third day, Hazel was almost ready to make a trip to the Underworld when she spotted Nico walking through the camp grounds like it was an ordinary day. Before she could run to him, Nico was snared by a certain blond Roman, who had just about pulled his hair out with worry. And it was a nice sight to see. Jason finally smiling with relief as he fussed over the younger boy while refusing to part from the hug, no matter how many people were staring. And it was refreshing to see Nico shyly smile, a ting of blush appearing on his cheeks and slowly bringing his arms up and hugging Jason back.

Hazel wasn't about to ruin the moment. She didn't have to. Leo ran towards them and started blabbing about how Jason was going crazy and making sure to give full embarrassing details while Jason fretted with shutting him up. She decided to join in and gave her brother a hug herself because no matter what his preference was, he was still the boy she met back in the Underworld. He looked happy, but Hazel could tell that there was something on his mind and it wasn't good. She didn't ask what it was because she somehow knew that no matter how much she begged, he wouldn't budge.

...

She didn't mean to eavesdrop. She had just gone back to her cabin after Dinner. Nico and Jason had left early and she wasn't sure where they had gone. Then she saw them at the edge of the woods and curiosity got the better of her, especially when neither of them looked like the happy couple that had finally gotten back together a few hours ago after Nico's abrupt disappearance. She crept along and hid behind a tree, close enough to not be seen but could hear the conversation clearly.

"We need to break up," Nico said bluntly. Hazel wasn't sure who was more shocked, her or Jason.

"But why?" Jason tried to look Nico in the eye but he let his eyes fall on his shoes.

"Those few days that I've been alone had me thinking and I just can't do this anymore, Jase." It was a lie. Hazel could sense it because she knew him that well and it helped that she could already read people easily. But Jason was too astonished by what the other was saying that he wasn't focusing on the hesitation in his words, the way Nico leaned towards him, wanting nothing more than to hold him but stopping himself. That's when Hazel decided to wonder why Nico would break up with Jason when he was so happy.

Because of her.

That was starting to irritate Hazel that it was her fault that all this was happening.

"Nico, I don't understand," Hazel could tell that Jason was trying really hard to figure out where all this was coming from, but how could he? Jason hadn't done anything wrong. He'd been there for Nico when he was most needed, even when Hazel wasn't there. He was the reason why Nico had opened up to the world around him and realized that there were people who cared, who wanted to help but were pushed away by him. Jason was the one that had persisted, who'd broken down the walls around him and had gotten him out of his shell. Jason had been the only real light in Nico's darkened existence. Sure, Hazel had part in that, but she never pushed the boundaries, afraid that the son of Hades would shut her out as well. But the blond was never a guy who backed out, especially when he had made up his mind to do something and never stopped trying until he became the first person to get close enough for her brother to talk to him freely about his problems, which Hazel had to admit, was pretty impressive.

"I'm sorry," Nico's voice trembled slightly, "I have to go." And he was out of there before the older boy could stop him. Jason just stood there, looking at the ground, trying to digest the conversation that he had just had. And as the words sunk in, Hazel could visibly see his face contort in a pained expression as his chest heaved and pressed his hand on his heart, so as to make sure that it didn't burst.

Hazel wasn't sure when she had stepped out into the open until Jason caught a glance at her direction and faced her with a crestfallen look. Her heart thudded with anticipation as they stared at each other, waiting to see who would be the first to break the silence. Finally, Jason managed a heartbroken smile, causing Hazel to bite down on her lip, afraid to say something else that would worsen the situation. She'd done enough damage as it was.

"I'm guessing you're happy about this, right?" Jason didn't sound angry as he let his gaze fall to his feet for a moment. She wanted to say something to take away that idea of her not liking the son of Jupiter with her brother even though she didn't know if it was a lie or not, but her jaw clenched and her throat tightened, stopping any sound from coming out of her mouth. Suddenly, Jason's electric blue eyes shot up to look at her. Hazel noticed the new-found strength in them as he spoke with persistence, "But I'm still not giving up! I haven't forgotten my promise."

And with that, he ran in the direction that Nico had went, leaving Hazel to feel impressed with his optimism. After all that happened, he still found a way to keep moving forward and keep trying to persevere. Hazel didn't think that she had respected someone as much as she did with the ex praetor at that moment. She really hoped that Jason would do whatever it took to fix all this. He was so important to Nico and Hazel was not going to let herself get in the way of that, so she promised that she wouldn't intervene any more and hopefully, in the end, things would go back to the way they were before.

...

Thunder and rain plagued the usual blue skies of camp Half-Blood. The storm had been going on for a few days now. As much as Hazel hated to admit, things hadn't been sorted out with her brother and Jason as she had wanted it to. If anything, it had gotten worst. Nico refused to listen to anything that Jason said and kept avoiding him as best as he could, acting more coldly towards him to go away and never talk to him again. It was just a front. He was trying to put Jason down and get him to give up. Unfortunately, it was starting to work. Jason's willpower and resolve had been reduced to almost nothing. Because of all the sadness that Jason had kept bottled up inside, the depressive feelings had finally gotten out in the form of thunderstorms and not even Jason could stop them.

As much as Hazel wanted to keep her promise in not getting involved, she knew that sooner of later, she'd have to confront Nico and make him understand that she had never wished for any of this to happen, but she couldn't find the courage to do so. It wasn't until a visit to their cabin, that Hazel finally had enough of Nico's attitude.

The rain was pouring as hard as ever, like the past week. Chiron had explained that if the storm didn't end soon, they would be dealing with a flood and that activities were all canceled. Hazel tried to distract herself by reading a book, lying on her bed while Nico sat on his own bed, polishing his sword. The thick cloud of apprehension still floated on top of the children of the Underworld. Hazel thought that she might just choke from the anxiety clogging her throat as she held tightly to the book cover until the knock on the door made her jump. Nico raised an eyebrow her way and silently strode across the room to open the door, leaving his weapon on the bed.

Hazel wasn't surprised to see Jason standing at the entrance, his clothes soaking and clinging to his shaking figure. She tried to ignore them and pretend to be reading, but unconsciously leaned a little closer to their direction, sneaking a few side glances and noticing Jason's eyes were red and missing their usual cheerful light. As she looked hard at the page in front of her, Hazel could imagine Nico's expression. He would have a bored look on his face at first, asking silently why Jason was here _again _and as the Roman tried to reason with him, Nico's expression transformed into an annoyed scowl. Then she glanced up again, which was a big mistake.

"Please Nico," Jason pleaded, "We can't leave this like this." It was a heart shattering picture to see the Great Jason Grace with his voice shaking, probably crying, the tears mixed with the rain drops that continued to fall down on the camp. Nico didn't respond and merely took a step back and slammed the door shut with unnecessary force. Hazel noticed his hand holding tightly to the doorknob, letting his forehead press on the smooth wood for a second before taking a deep breath. She knew it killed him to see their friend that way as much as it did to her, but he wasn't willing to accept it.

That was it for her. It didn't matter anymore that she had no place in telling Nico what decisions to make or that she swore not to speak about the subject. Seeing Jason in so much pain was enough for her to throw the book in her hand into the wall and stomp over to her brother. He turned around, only to be slammed to the door by trembling arms that had taken a firm grip of both his shoulders.

"Hazel?" He whispered in amazement. Never had she ever acted this way before, especially towards him, but something inside her had snapped. The daughter of Pluto glared at him, not sure what to say, just wanting for all this to be over.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked slowly, her voice laced with accusation. "How could you be so cruel to someone that cares so much about you?"

His surprise quickly melted, replaced by anger, "That's not any of-"

"Shut up!" Hazel, as well as Nico was shocked that she had raised her voice but didn't waver in her words. "You are going to go back out there, you're going to apologize and you're going to be happy with Jason again, got that?"

"Why do you suddenly care so much!?" Nico shouted back, shoving her away from him, "Wasn't it you who didn't want me to be with him in the first place?"

"I never said that!"

"You didn't have to," Nico growled lowly, now refusing to look at her eyes, "I saw the way you acted whenever you were around us. Cringe when Jason grabbed my hand, falter when we said something even remotely romantic or our friends teased us and made jokes. It bothered you, didn't it?" He waited, the familiar shadow surround him like it always did when he was in a not so very happy particular mood. At this point, Hazel would be scared and try to calm him down, but she didn't step back this time, instead pressing on and make Nico understand. The frustration of the whole ordeal was stressful enough, but the thought of Nico just suddenly giving up a chance at happiness because Hazel was bothered by it? That was something that she would not stand for. Her own anger was affecting her control of her power, but she barely noticed the items made of metal in the cabin rattle in their place or jewels popping around her feet.

"That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard!" She finally let the thoughts that she had been suppressing for a while now, "Why would you care what I thought? Why does it matter to you what I think? It's not my relationship! It's yours and no one should have a say in that except you and Jason!"

He was quiet for a moment, the shadows having stopped swirling around him. Hazel noticed that she was breathing heavily and soon, the metal in the cabin stood still and the jewels littering the floor were starting to sink back to the ground. He faced her again and although his voice came out hollow and emotionless, his dark eyes reflected torment.

"It isn't just about me dating Jason." It was barely a whisper and Hazel had to focus hard to understand what he was saying. "You don't accept me. Who I am. What matters to me is what you think of the person that I am. I've tried so hard to change so that for once, I could feel normal in something...but I can't change this." His voice was cracking and he was trying so hard to not cry. This vulnerable side of Nico had always worried her because she hated to see him so broken and it ate her up as well to know he was suffering. "You're my sister and I will always do anything for you. That's why it matters so much to me, Hazel. Because I care so much about you."

All was silent, except for the rain that was still falling down on the roof of Cabin 13. Hazel couldn't take it any longer. She wanted to make everything right. For him. Because he was important to her, too. She took a deep breath, only to let out a choked sob because she was never as good as Nico in hiding her emotions. She ran up to him and wrapped her arms securely around his neck, burying her wet face on the crook of his neck while he returned the hug, rubbing her back soothingly.

It was embarrassing, really. It should of been Hazel comforting Nico instead of the other way around. Her tears had stained his shirt and she didn't stop for who knows how long. Nico waited wordlessly for her to calm down, keeping her encased in the little warmth that he could offer and Hazel couldn't of asked for more at that moment, couldn't of asked for anyone else to be her brother.

"I'm sorry," She blurted out the second that she could manage to speak again, "I'm so, so sorry..."

"It's okay, Haze," Nico assured her, tightening his hold on her.

She shook her head and detached herself from him, "No, it's not. I'm a horrible person and I don't even deserve for you to comfort me." She vainly tried to wipe her nose with her sleeve. Nico opened his mouth to say something, but Hazel wouldn't have it. "Don't try to argue with me."

"You shouldn't kill yourself over this," he insisted. Of course, Nico would always make sure she was okay, no matter what she did and Hazel hated that because she didn't have anything to offer him except insecurities and heartache. Yet, she could still make this right.

"Nico, I want you to go after Jason."

"Haz-"

"Don't worry about me," she told him, "You're still Nico, my brother. Nothing has really changed. I can live with you liking boys. I promise on my life." For Romans, that was one of the most serious vows that could be made, but Hazel wasn't messing around. She wasn't going to lose someone she loved for anything.

He stood there silently, watching her closely in astonishment and disbelief. Then he smiled. It was barely noticeable, but it was there. Even without words, his eyes were grateful and forgiving. Hazel felt lighter, free of burdens and guilt at the sight of Nico's small smile as she returned the gesture. It was refreshing to see something beside a frown or a scowl on his face. It was a smile that reminded people that Nico wasn't just a son of Hades, but a human being with the ability to feel things just as anyone else. They held eye contact with each other briefly before he whirled around and ran out the door.

It took Hazel a moment to realize that Nico hadn't even put on a jacket to protect him from the storm outside so she quickly slipped on a raincoat and hurried off after Nico with an umbrella in her hand.

...

The wind was violent, the rain pounded hard and Hazel had almost slipped on the wet grass about ten times. She still wasn't sure how she didn't lose sight of Nico, who was only a few feet in front of her. She wasn't sure if he knew that she was following him or he didn't care, but it didn't stop him from pushing forward, no doubt already soaked to the bone. He ran to the Zeus Cabin and didn't hesitate to knock on the door. Hazel stood at the bottom of the porch steps. She shouldn't be here, but now that she was, it would be a waste of time to trudge back without knowing the outcome.

"Nico," she called out and made her way up the steps, "You should've at least taken an umbrella."

"H-Hazel, what are you d-d-doing here?" He was shivering like crazy.

"Look at you, now you're going to get sick!" Just because they had fought and made up a few minutes ago, didn't mean that Hazel's maternal instincts were going to switch off. Before Nico could tell her to stop acting like his mom, the door opened and the children of the underworld were greeted by a dumbfounded son of Jupiter.

"Nico? Hazel? What are you doing here?" Jason asked, frozen in place, probably wondering if he was hallucinating. Nico didn't bother with explanations and hugged Jason without warning, encircling the blond's waist with his arms. Jason went rigid at the contact, but relaxed and held the shorter boy, not caring that his clothes were getting wet.

Hazel watched them, not wanting to mess up the moment. Jason and Nico had always known what the other was thinking and they sometimes had conversations without the use for vocal communication. It fascinated Hazel how easily they could read each other and she knew that Jason understood what Nico was trying to get across. Just seeing them together like this made Hazel's eyes water because Nico was happy. They both were. This is how it was supposed to be and there was no reason to think otherwise.

Hazel would've left them to have some privacy but there was one more thing that she needed to do. Determined, she marched up to the couple, putting on a serious expression. She cleared her throat to announce her presence. Two pairs of eyes fell on her, but her attention was on Jason, who tensed up at the sight of her, waiting for her to yell or hit him. But Hazel did none of that, instead she asked him a simply question. "Remember that promise you made a few weeks ago?" Jason nodded slowly, confused. Hazel smiled, a real smile. "Take good care of Nico. I approve."

Jason's face shone brighter than ever at those simple words and eagerly exclaimed, "Yes ma'am." Before Hazel had time to process it, she was pulled into a group hug, one of Jason's arms holding her close while one of Nico's hands found hers. They stayed like this for a while, barely aware that the rain had come to a graduate stop.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, there you have it! Phew, that was the longest one-shot I have ever written. It actually took me a while to write this because sometimes I put things off but I'm very proud of myself for finishing it. :D<strong>

**-Angela R.**


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